My life with a beagle.

It is amazing the impact that a dog can have on your life.

I know the landscape in Cedarville better because of a dog.

I know more people in Cedarville because of a dog.

I got to know my neighbors better because of a dog.

When I walk Toby, inevitably we always run into at least one person who has or has had a beagle.  If the person had a beagle I always learn how that beagle died .  .  . "he got a viral infection" . . . "she was euthanized"  . . . "she ran out and got hit by a car"  I am always left wondering why they didn't get another beagle after grieving the loss of the first one.  Did a memo go out somewhere that said "Don't get another beagle!"

I am amazed at the number of people, especially women who think Toby is cute.  It's a good thing for Toby that people think he is cute because with that annoying howl that he calls a bark, he would have been shot a long time ago if he wasn't cute.  Of course I like to remind people that he is really cute until he pees on your floor . . .

We ran into someone on the bike path yesterday who uses beagles to hunt.  She asked me if I ever used beagles to hunt.  I said no I've never gone hunting with Toby.  She clearly thought I had deprived him of some great pleasure by not taking him hunting.  What she didn't know was the lack hunting is not because of Toby but because of me.  I really have no desire to shoot an animal with a gun.

So now I'm trying to decide if I want to add a second beagle to the family.  One beagle is a lot of fun, but two . . . well we'll just have to wait and see.